Witch Of Brummel

“Witch of Brummel” Jasmine LeVeaux Prologue I Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada All of her life she’d been different. All of her life she’d been teased and emotionally tormented, sometimes even physically abused by the very people she had so hoped to befriend. She was different and she frightened them. She could do things they couldn’t. See things they never would. She could command the winds and the waters and it terrified them. She knew things. She was powerful, the fanatically religious would say evilly omnipotent. She had been born a guardionness to the universe’s secrets. She was one of the chosen few born under the sign of the eternally living woman. Even amongst her own kind she was unique. She had gifts none of them had, saw things clearer than they could. Her powers were legion. And yet there was only one thing she had ever wanted, only one thing she had ever craved deep in her soul, even though she had the power to bring the mountains to heel if she decreed it to be done. All she had wanted, all she had ever desired, was to be loved by another person...by a man. But this had never come to pass. She had prayed and she had hoped. She had dreamed and she had longed. But it was always denied her. Knowing her fate was to be the same as that of other women born like her, she had accepted it. It had torn her apart from time to time, but she had accepted it. She had ached and craved, but acquiesced. She had never cried. Not once. And then she had met him…beautiful, perfect, handsome him. I love you , he had said. I need you, he had said. Gypsy, he had affectionately called her. And so it had come to pass that she who was born under the sign of the eternally living woman had taken him as her husband. She had married him. She had known him but three hours and she had joined her soul to his irrevocably. She had looked inside of him and she had loved him for all that he was and all that he was not. They had spoken their vows in a seedy Las Vegas chapel where the preacher was dressed like Elvis and his wife like Priscilla, but she hadn’t cared. Not a bit. Because she had been marrying him. He had brought her back to the hotel and she had ushered him quickly to her suite, not wanting to wait even a moment more than was necessary to join their bodies, to finally know what it was to feel a man deep inside of her. And not just any man. This man. The man who was her husband. The man who loved her. She had believed him. Why, after all, would a man marry a woman he’d known but three hours unless he’d glimpsed into her soul and loved her as she loved him? She had believed him. She had turned on the radio, then fallen onto the bed and into his embrace. He had vowed that he needed her. He had thrust deep inside of her and kissed away her unspilled virgin’s tears. He had rocked

slowly in time with the music. He had called her gypsy, just like in the song. He had looked deep into her eyes and murmured the words as the radio lulled them out, a song she’d heard a thousand times, but had remained meaningless to her until that moment. Into the mystic by Van Morrison. He had thrust deep and long, bringing her to climax. The music had continued its slow, steady rhythm. He had poured his life inside of her body. And then he was gone. Into the mystic, so it had seemed. Gone, and she didn’t know why. Gone, and now she was alone. Utterly, heart-wrenchingly alone. She threw herself onto the bed. And for the first time in her life, she wept. ***** He didn’t know what had happened last night, couldn’t remember a bloody thing beyond the fact that he’d been drunk. Too drunk. Again. He was on a plane headed back home to England, that much he knew. But then again, he was sober now. A state he planned to remain in forever. Whatever had happened the evening prior had changed him irrevocably. He’d been shaken to the depths of his soul. He had found…something. But what? He wished he knew. He would give anything to remember. He recalled pitch-black hair and a piercingly innocent violet gaze, but…no. She hadn’t been real. She couldn’t have been real. She had been a dream. When he had awoken, after all, he had been alone in a stranger’s room. Alone and lonely. He cursed himself a fool drunk and vowed never to succumb to the lure of imbibing again. Now if only he could remember…

Prologue II Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California Six Years Later “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve done everything that we can for your son.” The chief neurosurgeon’s gaze was stilted, but genuinely regretful. There was no easy way, after all, to tell a man that his child would never walk again. Whether the child in question was three, or as he was in this case, thirty-three, it made no difference. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Do you wish,” he murmured, “for me to impart the news to your son, or would you prefer to tell him yourself?” Lord Charles Sebastian, the earl of Clydon, looked up for the first time in long minutes. He knew his eyes were filled with unshed tears, but he didn’t care. Appearing unmanly was the least of his concerns at the moment. He was living a nightmare. A nightmare from which he was unable to awaken.

His heir. His son. Good god how could this have happened to— “I’m not hard of hearing,” a low, broken voice whispered from across the expanse of the hospital room. “Nor am I asleep.” Charles Sebastian winced. He glanced toward where his eldest son James Sebastian, Viscount Brummel, lay atop the crisp white sheets of the equally staunch white room. His entire face was ravished with black and blue marks and crusty red scabs punctuated its surface everywhere but the eyes. Tubes ran out of James’ nose, feeding him. A catheter urinated for him. Machines breathed for him. The earl felt as though he was going to be sick. Why God? he demanded to know. Why James? Why now? Why not all those years back when he’d been a young fool? Why now, when he was together and the world was at his feet? His son had been the toast of London society. Sought out by every lady, envied by every man. He had been beautiful, golden, and perfect. Wealthy and titled. He had excelled in both scholarly and athletic endeavors. He had been the crème de la crème of the British aristocracy. Charles Sebastian couldn’t help but to wonder how society would greet his son now. He would always be dearly loved by him as well as by his youngest son Oliver, but what of everyone else? He could only pray that James’ friends continued to deal with him as they had before the accident, instead of treating him like a cripple. Unfortunately, his son’s fiancée hadn’t shown such a love for him. She was on a plane even now, England-bound. The earl cleared his throat. He nodded to the chief neurosurgeon, telling him discreetly that he would prefer to speak to his son alone. The doctor inclined his head and quietly closed the door behind him as he took his leave from the room. Charles Sebastian walked unsteadily to where his eldest son laid. Truth be told, he wasn’t at all certain how he made it to his side, for his legs were trembling like leaves in the wind, a side effect of shock and grief he could only presume. “I’m sorry, son,” he said quietly. “I never thought to exclude you from the conversation. I—I just didn’t realize you were awake.” James made a low, pleading sound in the back of his throat, causing Charles to glance away and stare out of the window. That small, heartbreaking whimper was a sound he feared he’d never grow used to hearing his son make. It was so out of character. So bloody out of character. “It’s true then, father?” James took a few shallow breaths before speaking again, trying to steady his rate of respiration. His voice was raspy, partly from emotion, partly from having difficulty speaking. “I shall never walk again?” Charles Sebastian closed his eyes lest the tears fall freely. He could not turn around and face his son. He could not bear to see the bleak desperation that had been in James’ every glance since awakening from his three-day coma. One minute James had been on top of the world, playing a spirited game of polo with friends. And then the next he had woken up to a nightmare, only to learn he had nearly been trampled to death when he’d fallen from his horse. He opened his eyes and stared unseeing out of the hospital window. “It’s true, James,” he said stoically. “You shall never walk again.” Charles closed his eyes at the sound of his son’s openly shed tears. He had to remain unemotional, at least until he left the room. He had to be strong, for it was all he could offer his son. Silence ensued for long minutes. James absorbed what he’d been told about his condition while Charles continued to peer out of the window. Evening was descending. The skies were turning a portent pinkish purple, daytime’s final warning that the night was coming. “What else, father?” James at last murmured, partially steadied once again. “I know there is more. Tell

me the whole of it.” Charles took a long, cathartic breath. How his sons had always been able to read him so well was beyond his comprehension. But they could. Both of them. It had always been that way. He turned around, realizing it was only fair to deliver the news his son was waiting to hear while looking him in the eyes. James had to believe it wasn’t the end of the world. He had to understand that no matter what, he would always have the love and support of his family. “What is it, father?” James closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to meet Charles’ teary gaze. “Please just get it over with. Tell me,” he whispered hoarsely. “You will never…” The earl closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. “Yes?” “You will never…” “Tell me, father,” James murmured. “…father children.” The earl blinked away his tears and met his son’s gaze determinedly. “You will never father children, James,” he whispered. “Never. At least not by natural means.” James looked away. For a suspended moment, he remained silent, absorbing the implications of his inability to sire an heir, a future earl of Clydon. Now it would be his brother Oliver who was James’ heir, instead of a son of his own. Somehow that mattered less than the most obvious tragedy. He would never again have sexual relations with a woman. “Does Jane know?” he asked quietly. “Yes.” “And what did she say?” When Charles didn’t answer right away, James turned back to his father and sought out his gaze once more. “What did she say? Why is she not here by my side? Father?” “I’m sorry, James.” The earl took a deep breath. He had never hated a woman the way he hated Jane Merriweather right now. She hadn’t even shown enough human decency to break his son’s heart herself. She had left the unpleasant task for Charles to do. As if James didn’t have enough on his plate right now. “Jane has ended your engagement. There shall be no wedding. She is on a plane headed back to England as we speak.” James said nothing. Stoically, he turned his head and stared unblinking out of the very window the earl had spent so much time looking out of. “James?” Charles said quietly. “Forget Jane. She wasn’t worthy of you, son.” His voice trembled and quirked. “There will be other—” “No,” James said simply. “We both know there won’t be others.” “James? Don’t speak like that. I’m telling you—” “I appreciate what you are trying to do, father, but there is no need to sugarcoat the truth.” Unable to do anything else, and frustrated because of it, James closed his eyes and sobbed. Every whimper, every tear, pierced the earl’s heart. When James’ tears ceased several minutes later, the look in his eyes was frightening in its intensity. “I am a freak and a cripple and I want death to come to me.” “James—” “I want death to come to me,” he repeated brokenly. “I’ve nothing to look forward to but a lifetime of loneliness and unfulfilled dreams.” The tears continued to track down his cheeks unchecked. “Who can love me now?” James whispered

into the descending night. “What woman could possibly fall in love with a freak?” ***** “Wook, mommy!” Star tugged on her mother’s hand and giggled. “Wook at dat!” Luna Xavier peered down at her five-year-old daughter’s handiwork and grinned. She was so beautiful, her daughter. Golden and perfect just like her father had been. She hadn’t seen him in over six years, but devastatingly handsome looks were hard to forget. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart!” She clapped her hands together and pretended to be surprised. “Did you make that sand castle all by yourself?” Star nodded excitedly. “Yep. I used my powers just wike you said to!” Luna chuckled. She took her daughter’s tiny hand and pulled her to her feet. “Auntie should have lunch ready by now. Let’s go inside and eat and you can tell her all about it!” “Okay!” And so they went. They raced each other back, laughing as they always did, enjoying the afternoon breeze and each other’s company. They were mother and daughter, best friends and companions. And they had both been born under the sign of the goddess. They were both witches.

Chapter 1 Cleveland-Hopkins Airport Five Years Later “Are you outta your mind, lady?” Luna Xavier, spell caster, fortuneteller, and spirit-world medium extraordinaire, wrinkled her nose and frowned. “But I’m certain of what that dead gentleman sitting right over there told me.” She listened for words that apparently only she could hear being spoken, then smiled triumphantly. “As I said, Michael, the gentleman assures me that my daughter and I are supposed to be seated in first class.” Michael the gate agent stared at her for a suspended moment with his mouth agape. He forcibly closed his unhinged jaw and waved a hand toward her. “Let me see if I got this right, lady.” “Okay.” “You paid for two economy class coach tickets, right?” “Uh huh.” “But you feel that you’re entitled to two first class seats because some dead guy sitting over there”—he waved his hand agitatedly toward what was presumably empty air space—“said it was part of, and I quote, ‘the goddess’ ultimate plan’.” He made a face. “Have I left anything out?”

“Mmm no.” Her smile was radiant. “That about covers it.” Michael the gate agent stared at Luna incredulously. His aura was obviously not inclined to believe her story, she thought somewhat perturbed. Even now his aura was bemoaning the fact that he’d chosen to work here at the airlines instead of going to law school. “Look lady—” “Michael!” A second gate agent rushed up from behind him. The female airline representative strolled briskly toward her partner and huffed. She hadn’t been made privy to the conversation he’d had with Luna as she’d just gotten off the phone with the operations department. “This flight is completely oversold. We don’t have any more room in coach.” She tore the tickets from his hand, punched a few keys briskly on the computer keyboard in front of her, then turned to Luna and smiled. “Good news! You and your adorable daughter get to ride in first class.” Michael could only gape. “That’s so stellar, mommy!” Star jumped up and down excitedly. “I’ve never ridden in first class before!” Luna smiled brilliantly as she accepted her two first class boarding passes from the female gate agent. After the woman handed them over, then sprinted back to the concourse door, Luna turned to Michael and grinned. Michael shook his head to clear it. He darted his eyes warily toward the spot where Luna had proclaimed a dead man was sitting. “The goddess’ ultimate plan?” he squeaked. “Uh huh. Sometimes it’s a groovy thing.” “I’ll have to remember that.” Luna inclined her head respectfully, then took Star by the hand and prepared to board the plane. She had barely taken a step before she clapped a hand to her forehead, moaning and groaning as if in the throes of a particularly juicy orgasm. “What is it?!” Michael rushed to her side, torn between embarrassment at the scene the dark-haired woman was making and a painful erection. He gestured toward Star. “What’s wrong with your mom, kid? Is she diabetic or something?” Star shook her head and grinned. “Like, duh!” She slapped a hand to her forehead and giggled. “She’s like, having a vision, don’t ya know?” Michael swallowed. He wasn’t certain what to do. This had never been covered in the airline’s training manual. He really should have gone to— “Law school,” Luna muttered. Only the whites of her eyes visible, she continued to moan and groan as she held one hand out in front of her and twisted it back and forth, as if tuning the dial on a radio. Another witch like her daughter Star or her sister Sunny would immediately know that she was fine-tuning her psychic vision. Michael could only gape. “Law school?” Michael whispered. He darted his eyes back and forth. “I’m supposed to go to law school?” “Yes,” Luna moaned. She opened her eyes as the vision ended. Turning toward Michael, she clapped a friendly hand on the gate agent’s shoulder. She looked normal, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place. As if other passengers weren’t making a wide berth around her in an effort to keep their distance. “You are to

apply to Harvard the minute you get home tonight. You weren’t rejected the last time, they simply lost your application.” Michael’s eyes rounded. “They did?” he asked hopefully. “Uh huh.” He straightened up and shook his head in awe. “This is so…” He stopped, unable to think of a word to describe it. “Stellar?” Star provided. “Cosmic?” Luna added. Michael nodded. He stared wonderingly at Luna. “Yeah. It’s like so stellar and so cosmic both.” Luna inclined her head gracefully as she took her ten-year-old daughter’s hand. “The goddess’ ultimate plan always is.” She offered the gate agent one last bright smile, then sauntered off toward the plane. “Yeah,” Michael said reverently as he watched her board the plane that would take her to London. “It’ s a groovy thing.” ***** “Oh Sunny,” Luna said wistfully, “you look beautiful, absolutely radiant. I’m so happy for you and Oliver.” Soleil Xavier, a witch like her sister and the woman slated to be the new Viscountess Blackshire in roughly twenty minutes time, turned toward Luna and grinned. “Really?” She held up her hands and twirled around in a circle, showing off the silky white dress her friend Vega had designed for her. “You’re not just saying that, are you?” Luna’s hand flew to her heart. Her almond-shaped violet eyes rounded as she solemnly vowed she would never do such a thing. The action made Soleil smile. She had missed her sister and her cute little habits. “You really will be the most beautiful bride the world has ever seen, Sunny.” “I’ve missed you so much, Luna.” She pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly. “You’ve barely lived in Blackshire two weeks and already I have to leave you.” Luna chuckled. “Unless Oliver is planning a murder-suicide as the highlight of your honeymoon, I’m certain you’ll be back in England in no time at all.” Soleil grinned. “Two weeks! Two fun-filled weeks of scuba-diving and lazing around on a beach in Bali.” Her grin turned mischievous. “How could I not have married the guy?” She patted her tummy, still flat at only two months along. “And I can hardly wait to have this little one.” “I can’t wait to meet my niece either. You’re lucky.” Luna nodded emphatically. “But then so is Oliver.” “We love each other very much,” Soleil murmured. Her gaze turned wistful as she regarded her sister. “You’ll love living in Blackshire, Luna. It’s a different place than the town we come from in the states. You’ll be accepted here, you’ll belong.” Luna’s expression was thoughtful. “You told me on the phone that this hamlet has a long history with witchcraft. Is it true then that the villagers don’t fear the members of the coven in the slightest?” Soleil’s nod was to the point. “The villagers are so stellar, Luna. You’ll see. The coven is highly respected around here. Now that you’re a member, you’ll know the same respect. Respect,” she said pointedly, “we were never given back home.”

“I’m just sorry I had to obtain it the way that I did…” Her hesitation gave Soleil time to stop whatever she had been about to say by putting her palm up in the air. “We will all miss her. Nessa was a stellar woman and a stellar witch. But she was also old, and very, very sick. So sick that not even the coven could help her.” Luna took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry for your loss Sunny,” she said quietly. “I hope her passing into the goddess’ next realm was a painless one.” “It was,” she assured her. “The coven saw to it.” Luna turned her sister around to face the mirror and began to help her pull her wayward curls up into an elegant coif suitable for a wedding. “I take it there are many skilled healers amongst the thirteen?” “Yes. At least three of them ply it as a professional trade, but occasionally, in the name of a good cause, we all work together to heal someone.” “Really?” Luna furrowed her brow. “How nice. The only witches you and I knew growing up were each other, and mother of course. How nice to have such a network now.” Soleil met her sister’s gaze in the mirror. “I agree. We’re working with a man right now, my future brother-in-law in fact.” “What’s wrong with him?” “He was badly injured five years past.” Her sigh was one of regret. “He lost the ability to walk, as well as his, uh—” She cleared her throat. “—masculine functions.” When Luna’s nose wrinkled up uncomprehendingly, she sighed and threw her hand dramatically toward her image in the mirror. “He can’ t get a woody.” Luna’s cheeks tinted pink. Her lips formed an O. “It’s too bad because he’s really a stellar guy.” Soleil shook her head. “At any rate, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get him to walk, but we hope to help him, er…” “I take your meaning, Sunny.” Luna smiled at her sister’s mirrored reflection. “I’m thirty-two. I’ve had sex before.” She blushed, then clarified her woman of the world statement a tad. “Once,” she muttered. Soleil grinned. “Don’t worry. Your aura has been vibin’ big time, ever since you got to Blackshire.” She winked conspiratorially. “I have a feeling you’ll have sex again, and very soon, goddess willing.” “B-But Sunny…” Luna’s voice trailed off as she swallowed harshly. “I’m a married woman. I admit I’ ve considered lying with other men before, but…” Soleil puckered her lips into a frown. “You’re married to a deadbeat who ditched you eleven years ago. Luna, please tell me you’re not still pining away for the wretched man?” “I’m not,” she declared somewhat truthfully. “In fact, I couldn’t care less.” She nodded emphatically, as if the doing would make her believe it with her whole heart. “I just wish I could get a legal divorce before I find a man to mate with,” she said rather wearily. “But I have no idea how to even find my husband, let alone divorce him.” Soleil chewed that over for a moment. Her gaze, the same violet as Luna’s, turned shrewd. “I’ll have Oliver look into it when we return from Bali.” “Speaking of Oliver,” Luna said, wanting to change the subject, “I think it’s time to go to a wedding.” Soleil grinned. “I think you’re right.” She patted the coif her sister had just finished styling and smiled wistfully. “A new beginning.” She turned around and held Luna tight. “For all of us,” she murmured. Luna blinked back her tears. “Yes,” she agreed quietly, “for all of us.”

Chapter 2 James Charles George Sebastian, Viscount Brummel, glanced at his lap disbelievingly. He was getting a hard-on. Not a full-blown, ten-inch wonder like he’d entertained before his accident five years ago, but the feeble pulsings of a tentative one nonetheless. It was the first twitch he’d felt in years. For five years, James had felt desire. He’d experienced the need to have sex. The intense longing. The aching with need. But he’d never had the physical reaction to prove it. Not once. When he’d met his brother Oliver’s girlfriend, the woman standing at the makeshift altar in the process of becoming his wife, he’d agreed to undergo therapy he had never actually thought would work. And he ’d been right. It hadn’t. Not exactly. Not until here, tonight. Not until her. James couldn’t have torn his gaze away from her had he tried. He couldn’t make out every detail of her features, as the damned ceremony was taking place at night, the only lighting that which was provided by the stars and the moon. Well, he thought glumly, wishing he could better see her, that’s what comes of marrying a witch. Apparently one marries her at night. Halloween night, no less. But she was exquisite. What James could see of her fit his every fantasy, the image he’d entertained of the ideal woman for eleven years. He’d only conjured up the facial features of his perfect woman, black hair and violet eyes. He’d never had a body to match it to…until now. She wasn’t skinny, not even close. She was of medium height and he guessed her coloring to be a pleasing tan, though it was hard to tell since the stars and moon weren’t exactly cooperating. Her hips were full. Her breasts were lush, definitely more than a handful. She was beautiful. The most enticing woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Whether she appeared that way to the rest of the world or only to him was difficult to say, but highly irrelevant. She was seduction incarnate to his starving senses. And he wanted her. Desired her. It was no small wonder that his body was responding to her. She was perfection to him. Her raven haired, violet-eyed looks brought to mind images of a seductive gypsy queen, skilled in all things erotic, knowing how to give a man his deepest desire. So this was Luna, he thought bemusedly. The witch that could converse with the dead. She could be no other, for James knew that Sunny had planned for her sister to stand as her maid of honor at the ceremony. Luna. And now his image of feminine perfection had a name. ***** James watched from the seclusion of the trees as Luna slow-danced in time with the Van Morrison music the band was playing. Into the Mystic it was called. Her partner was a child that could be none other than Sunny’s ten-year-old niece and Luna’s daughter, Star. Sunny had praised the child’s sweet nature and stunning good looks to him enough to enable him to pick her out of any crowd.

Again, it was difficult to discern her features at night, and from a distance no less, but he could tell she was golden and just as stunning as Sunny had boasted. There was something about the girl, something about her pale hair and the angle of her profile that was…familiar. He shook his head. That made no sense. He’d never seen her before this evening. James continued to watch—captivated—as mother and daughter laughed and danced together. Part of him wanted to wheel over and introduce himself, but another part of him didn’t wish to disturb the poetic image they made. He’d only seen such scenes in the movies. And then there was the fact that he was crippled. Or as Sunny would say, standing challenged. Sunny had a way of looking at things that made him feel no less a man than he’d been before the accident. He wondered if her sister Luna would have the same giving spirit, but much to his chagrin, he was afraid to find out. If James was to wheel over there this moment and she looked him up and down distastefully, he couldn’t begin to imagine the disappointment he’d feel. At least like this he could still dream. James knew he had a pleasing enough visage. His face had always earned him high marks with the ladies. Light blonde hair and green eyes, tanned skin, dimples punctuating either cheek. Even his body was still fit, though his upper body more so. James had never opted to purchase an electric wheelchair, for he wanted to keep himself as honed as humanly possible. And in the past three months since he’d begun his rather unconventional physical therapy with his “physicians”, a coven of witches to which his new step-mum and his sister-in-law Sunny both belonged, he’d also begun lifting weights. On top of that, Emelda, his step-mum, stretched him out and worked with his leg muscles every other day, slowly undoing the atrophy he had let wither them during his depression these past five years. In that regard, James was still pleasing to the female senses. But he also realized the fact that he was wheelchair bound was a major deterrent to women. That and his lack of erection. Being unable to perform as a man had been the most difficult part of his confinement these past five years. It wasn’t easy. Going from being a gentleman that had been hugged and kissed and praised as perfection amongst London society to a man pitied by those very same people was anything but easy. Heartbreaking. Infuriating. Many things. But never easy. James had enjoyed a full sex life before his accident. Being wealthy, handsome, and titled guaranteed the fact that he had never been at a loss for bed partners. Women had sought him out and he had taken more than he could count to his bed. And then he had fallen from his horse playing a game of bloody polo of all things and everything had changed. He had no longer been sought out by anybody. Not women. Not his alleged friends. These past five years had been a lesson in learning to deal with oneself alone. And alone he had been. Whether self-imposed or the inevitable culmination of his fall from society’s grace, it was difficult to conjecture on. Before his accident, James’ personality had been characterized by lightheartedness. Quick to smile, quick to laugh, quick to jest. After the accident, he had been different. Vastly different. Smiles were seldom, laughing was even rarer, and his jests were all but nonexistent. His father had tried to coddle him in the hopes of making him feel loved and protected, and upon reflection, that had done nothing but make him angrier, more loathing of himself and his inabilities. After all, James Sebastian, Viscount Brummel, was not a man accustomed to coddling. He had been a mover and a shaker and had preferred it that way. And then suddenly, five years ago, his very identity

had been snatched away from him along with his ability to walk. For five painful bloody years James’ most pronounced emotions had been anger and self-condemnation. He had felt inferior to all those around him and had reacted to people accordingly. And then something incredible had happened. The change in him had begun, ironically enough, after his brother Oliver had had enough of his angry, self-pitying ways and in a moment of pique had pointed out how stupid he was for judging himself in such a superficial light. James was by no means one hundred percent restored, and much doubted that he ever would be, but that argument had definitely helped him to get back in touch with the man he had been before the infamous polo match. The argument had transpired because of James’ embarrassment and humiliation over Jane Merriweather, knowing as he had that his former fiancée was desirous of marrying his brother Oliver, since James was no longer able to sire an heir. Oliver, of course, had been in love with Sunny and wouldn’t have touched Jane with a ten-foot pole. But James hadn’t been considering Jane’s superficiality when he’d commenced that argument with his brother. He’d only been considering his own humiliation. From the most desirable to the least wanted—never an easy transition for anybody to make. But the hardest part of learning to live with what had become of himself had definitely been because he was unable to perform intimately. And yet, five years later, against what all of the world’s finest doctors had said, that part of purgatory was miraculously changing. He was definitely feeling something down there, staring at Luna as he was. This fact never failed to amaze him. He’d been dealing with his burgeoning erection for over an hour now and he still felt like a kid finding it for the first time. James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was almost painful, becoming erect after not feeling that part of himself for so incredibly long. Painful. Pleasurable and painful. He opened his eyes to once again regard the woman who was giving this sensation back to him. James smiled as he watched his brother Oliver cut in between the mother-daughter dancing duo and sweep a giggling Star into his arms to finish out the song. Luna chuckled, backing up a few paces to watch the proceedings. James studied her profile, longing so much to reach out and run his hands through her waist length dark curls. It was so shiny and black that it appeared almost blue under the moonlight. Exquisite, that hair. And then she turned to face him fully…slowly. As if realizing for the first time that she was being watched. Into the mystic… James furrowed his brow as he witnessed a myriad of expressions sweep across her face. Surprise. Shock. Denial. More shock. Elation. Hurt. More shock. And then…anger. Anger? Why? Then again, why the other emotions as well? James’ heart rate accelerated as Luna pulled her sister to the side. She must have told Sunny she wasn ’t feeling well, for the new Viscountess Blackshire was clapping her hand to Luna’s forehead. A second later, Luna was hugging Oliver, then kissing Star goodbye. And then she was gone. Gone, and he didn’t understand why. What had he done? Had the sight of a man in his wheelchair caused her that much nausea? he asked

himself bitterly. No…no, it wasn’t that. He mustn’t feel sorry for himself, for he was certain it wasn’t that. At least not yet it wasn’t. James shook his head. Luna hadn’t even appeared to notice his wheelchair. It was his face. His supposedly pleasing visage had set her off. Did he remind her of another man perhaps? That thought was not a pleasing one. He’d never so much as spoken to the woman, but already he didn’t care to entertain the thought of her in another man’s arms. James darted his eyes toward the retreating back of Luna Xavier and watched as she disappeared into the night. He didn’t know why she had fled, but he would find out. He had to understand. He had to see her again. He couldn’t let her flee... Into the mystic. ***** Luna ran as fast as her feet would carry her, not stopping until she reached the modest stone and wood cottage she and Star had been sharing with her sister these past two weeks. Even then she didn’t stop altogether, but continued on down the path that led from the backyard to a cliff overlooking the firth. At the cliff, she fell to her knees in exhaustion. She felt the need to cry, but at the same time was too stunned to do it. The tears would not come. That song. And that man. James. He could only be Oliver’s brother James. She’d seen him from a distance at the wedding ceremony when Sunny had pointed him out to her. She had never before a few minutes ago seen him up close and personal. Luna, normally a very cheerful and positive person, couldn’t help but to feel overwhelmed with grief. How ironic this twist in fate had turned out to be. How ironic that her sister had married the brother of the man who… She couldn’t believe it. This was a development she had never considered the possibility of when she’d picked up and moved to Blackshire. What would she tell Star? Her daughter could read her aura better than any witch she’d ever met. She would realize that something was very wrong. Which meant that eventually she would uncover the truth. If, that is, Star didn’t glean it from her memories first… Luna’s hand flew to her forehead. She could not let that happen. Star had grown up believing she was the result of mommy’s visit to the sperm bank. Not an altogether lie. Basically Star’s father was no more than a sperm donor, since he’d never donated a dollar of his money nor a minute of his time towards anything other than the actual making of their baby. But would Star forgive her for lying to her? Luna couldn’t bear the thought of losing her daughter’s affection. She was her best friend. She might only be ten-years-old, but they were best pals. They did everything together. From spell casting to grocery shopping, Luna and Star were like Batman and Robin, inseparable. To lose her love, the love of the only person other than her mother and sister who had ever cared about her… Good goddess, she couldn’t let that happen. But she would have to tell Star the truth. She didn’t want her daughter to find out from anyone but her. What if he told her? What if he decided to take Star’s affection away from her so he could have them

to himself? Luna chuckled humorlessly. What other reason could he have had for making his presence known to her this evening? Staring at her the way he had? Oh yes, he was up to something. She would just have to figure out what that something was. She would not let him come in between her and Star. Someone so cruel of nature as James would probably enjoy tearing asunder a relationship so pure and beautiful, but Luna refused to let that happen. She would make Star understand. And then she would get her divorce and go on with her life. At least now she knew where to find him. Oliver wouldn’t have to look into the situation for her after all. Luna shook her head. Of all the ironies. Of all the twists and turns in the goddess’ ultimate plan. She had never expected this. Her sister Sunny had married the brother of Luna’s husband. Chapter 3 Luna hummed to herself as she wiped up a table at Witch’s Cupboard, the coffee shop slash séance café she owned and operated with her sister Sunny. The shop had originally been split into halves, the other side of it a former palm-reading establishment operated by another member of the coven, Sunny’s mother-in-law Emelda, the countess of Clydon. Her mother-in-law as well, Luna reminded herself. Though Emelda didn’t yet know it. At any rate, the coffee shop and séance café was no longer split into halves, Emelda’s husband having talked his wife into closing down her business and working alongside him at Sunny and Luna’s shop. The earl, Luna’s father-in-law—good goddess it was hard to think of that sweet old man being related to her aura-less bastard of a husband!—he enjoyed working at Witch’s Cupboard, taking the phone calls to schedule Luna’s séances and packaging up the baked goods, teas, and coffees that the patrons bought. The earl, Charles Sebastian, also enjoyed living in Blackshire. He had larger estates elsewhere he had told her, but he and Emelda had agreed before they’d wed to remain here. The coven was in Blackshire, after all, and the only way a witch could retire from the thirteen was through death. It wasn’t as though Luna’s brother-in-law Oliver didn’t have the space in his gigantic estate. Ten families could live in that old mansion just fine and still only run into each other occasionally if that’s the way they chose to operate. Apparently her ogre of a husband was a frequent guest at the Blackshire mansion as well. Her husband had lived there for a couple of months this past summer, she’d been told by Emelda. Though neither she nor Emelda had known it was Luna’s husband that Emelda had been speaking of at the time she’d been told. James was living at his own estate in the hamlet of Brummel again, an area within the county of Clydon twenty minutes down the coast outside of Blackshire by car. Luna’s lips puckered into a frown. Her putrid husband had an estate. Not a house. An estate. How nice for him, she thought rather bitchily. Emelda had just mentioned not even half of an hour ago that James still visited Blackshire practically every day, though usually in the evenings up at Oliver and Sunny’s mansion. Luna could understand Blackshire’s draw for even a wretched fiend like her husband. The tiny hamlet was quaint in an Old World sort of way. Downtown Blackshire, where Witch’s Cupboard was located, was possessed of a grand total of

three blocks. The streets were narrow and paved of cobblestone. The sounds of craftsmen tinkering at their trades could be heard anywhere within the vicinity. Luna looked up from the table she was cleaning and smiled when she noticed Charles Sebastian ambling toward her. “Luna,” he drawled out in his typically pompous tones, “I have scheduled three more appointments for you in the past twenty minutes. It seems,” he continued, “that more people are desirous of conversing with the dead than a man can even begin to imagine.” Luna chuckled. “Still having a hard time coming to terms with it, Charley?” He harrumphed. Drawing himself up to his full six feet two inches, he raised a lordly silver brow. “I daresay talking to dead people would not be the highlight of my day. Truth be told, it’s hard enough for me to deal with the fact that my new wife can make objects fly about the room.” “I heard that, Charley Sebastian.” Emelda hobbled over to where Luna and the earl were standing. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “Mayhap then ye would prefer tae mop the floors yerself after Witch’s Cupboard closes instead of havin’ my”—she opened her eyes wide and wiggled her fingers theatrically—“scary powers do it for ye.” “I never said that,” the earl sputtered. She poked him in the chest. “Then dinna make fun.” “I’m not making fun of you, dear.” “Aye, ye are.” “Nay, I mean no, I am n—” “Would you two stop!” Luna chuckled at the sight they made as she resumed her previous activity of wiping up the table. “It never fails to amaze me how two people that bicker as incessantly as you two do can be so much in love.” Charles harrumphed at that. “She’s hot for my body, Emelda is.” Emelda rolled her eyes, but didn’t disagree. “Dinna ye have an order tae package up instead of runnin’ yer mouth, Charley?” He winked at her. “Actually I have a few, my dear, but since they won’t be picked up until after four, I promised Star she could help me to package them up.” Emelda inclined her head. “School should be lettin’ out within twenty minutes. The lassie should be here verra soon.” Luna’s smile was radiant. “She really loves her new school. She’s made quite a few good friends here.” Her smile turned wistful. “Growing up, the only friends Sunny and I had were each other, so I’m glad Star is creating a different destiny for herself.” Emelda shook her head and sighed. “With Star’s bonnie good looks, she’ll be a handful when the boys interest her, I dinna doubt.” The earl harrumphed. “I’ll have to keep my eye on that.” Luna smiled. It was so nice to see how much affection these two felt for her daughter. They treated Star like she was their very own granddaughter… Luna winced. She’d forgotten for a moment that they really were Star’s grandparents. Only neither of them realized it yet. She’d have to tell them soon. She certainly didn’t want them finding out from someone else. Like from him.

The bells over the front door of Witch’s Cupboard began to ring out a cheerful greeting, pulling Luna from her thoughts. “Jamie Sebastian!” Emelda gushed. “I dinna expect tae see ye here today!” “Hello son,” the earl greeted him, “what brings you here?” Luna’s gut clenched. She was afraid to turn around and look at him, terrified of even being in the same room as him. Had he come here today to drop the bombshell on everyone, before she could talk to Star and tell her the truth? Her palms began to sweat as she considered the very real possibility that that might be exactly why he’d come in today. Well, she thought with a bit of staunch, if James Sebastian thought she couldn’t put up a good fight, he’ d have to think again. Luna had been known to put a man in his place when the situation called for it. She ’d once told Walter Plink to go to the blazes. And once she had even purposefully stomped on a man’s toe. As she turned around and met James Sebastian’s determined gaze, however, her confidence began to falter somewhat. This was not a man who would be waylaid by a choice sentiment or a stomped on toe. Besides the fact that his legs didn’t work, she thought glumly. She could dance on his feet until the cows came home and he wouldn’t feel a damn thing. And oh, did the horrid beast look sinfully handsome today. He was wearing tan trousers and an olive colored polo shirt than contrasted far too nicely against his tanned skin and green eyes. And those arms…good goddess. Luna swallowed to steady herself. They were bigger now than they had been eleven years ago. Muscled and vein-roped, they were enough to give her another eleven years worth of fantasies. “I came to speak with Luna,” James announced from across the room as he wheeled closer. His smile was welcoming. A calculated deceit, she imagined, that was no doubt aimed at getting her to lower her defenses so his revelation would be all the more painful when he made it. Well, she thought resentfully, she refused to be done in by a smile. Luna Xavier was a witch to be reckoned with. “We’ve never been properly introduced,” he continued on. Luna’s jaw fell open at that. His simple statement had thrown her off balance as nothing else could have. Never been properly introduced? she seethed. Good goddess, they were married! What a lecherous swine! To what level would his lies and deceit go? Pig! Pig! Pig! “I don’t believe,” she sniffed, “that I have anything to say to you. You…you…conniving, back-stabbing, lying son of an aura-less bitch!” There. She’d said it! She’d never actually cussed a man out before, but she was definitely going to make a habit of it now. It felt good! Damn good! Unfortunately, Luna noticed, everyone was staring at her as though she’d gone crazy. Their mouths were all hanging open as if they’d been frozen that way. Of course, she conceded, the earl and countess believed she was cursing out a total stranger. “Well Luna,” the earl finally sputtered, “I know James can be trying to the nerves at times, but what on earth could he have possibly done to warrant such words? And this from a woman as gentle as a bunny rabbit.” He narrowed his eyes and shot an acid glance toward his son. “What did you do to her James?” James held up his palms. It didn’t escape his notice that he was having difficulty speaking. This entire situation was bizarre. First Luna ran from him last night and now today she was cursing both him and his mother’s aura out. Christ in heaven, she was even more resplendent in her anger than she was at every other time, he

thought bemusedly. She looked gorgeous today in a pair of tight weathered jeans and a loosely knit sweater. “Nothing,” he said with resolve. “I’ve never even met her.” “Never met me!” she fumed. “Never met me!” Luna tapped her toe agitatedly on the floor as she regarded him with flared nostrils. “How can you sit here and tell these people you’ve never met me?” She truly was beautiful, James thought. Gorgeous. She was giving him a hard-on—again. The fact that she obviously hated him was somehow lost on him in the process of fantasizing. Emelda pinched her lips into a frown. “What did ye do, Jamie Sebastian?” “I say,” the earl intoned, “have you two met before or not?” “No,” James said, snapping out of his tantalizing thoughts. “Yes,” Luna answered at the same time. Emelda threw her hands into the air. “Well which is it?” A tic began to work furiously in James’ cheek. At some level it amazed him that this woman could drive him from defensiveness to horniness to anger all outside a minute’s time. Right now he was angry. “I can assure both of you that I have never laid eyes on Luna Xavier before the wedding last night,” he ground out. “Apparently she has me confused with someone else.” A thought that once again didn’t sit well with him. “Confused with someone—” Luna balled her hands into fists and let out a very frustrated and penned up scream. Now everyone was really looking at her as though she’d just sprouted horns, James included. He threw up his hands in agitation. “I don’t believe this,” he mumbled. Shaking his head, he met Luna’s gaze once more. “Then please tell me,” James bit out, “from where do I know you?” Luna’s nostrils flared as her cheeks turned pink. “Does Las Vegas eleven years ago ring any bells?” James’ sucked in his breath. His eyes widened to the shape of saucers. “Las Vegas?” he murmured. “How could…no…it couldn’t be.” Could it? “No...I...conjured you up,” he said dumbly. “What are you talking about?” “I say!” the earl sputtered. “What’s this about Las Vegas and conjuring women up? Luna, please tell me you were never a lounge act.” Luna’s back stiffened as she shot a glare at the earl. “Of course not. True witches never resort to such things.” “Then what happened?” Emelda asked, thoroughly confused. “What went on between the deuce of ye in Las Vegas?” James could only shake his head. “I don’t know,” he quietly admitted. “I was a heavy drinker back in those days. I remember almost nothing.” His eyes peered into Luna’s, willing her to understand. “Please believe me, whatever I did, I have no memories of it. Just impressions, images. If I hurt you in some way, please allow me to make recompense, as I’ve no memories of it.” Luna’s eyes softened a bit. She hesitated. Could it be possible that he truly hadn’t abandoned her? Could he have been that far gone in drink? It seemed hard to credit. Of course, she had never had a problem with alcohol, so perhaps she wasn’t the best judge of such things. One thing was for certain. His aura believed his words. James was telling the truth, or the truth in so far as he knew it. Luna shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and sighed. She eyed James questioningly. “You really don’t remember?” she asked skeptically.

James sighed, then shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. I don’t remember anything, though I’ve always wondered what happened that night.” He studied her features. “I never drank heavily again after that.” Luna bit her lip. Gathering up her courage, she took a deep breath and expelled it. “James,” she said, shaking her head slightly, her voice unsteady, “you married me.” Shocked silence stole over the café. James and his parents were all too stunned to speak. If Luna hadn ’t been so upset, she would have found their expressions comical. All three of them had their mouths hanging open and were still enough to pass as images in a photograph. After what felt to Luna to be an eternity, James finally got his throat to work again. His Adam’s apple worked overtime. “M-Married you?” “Yes.” “We are married?” “Yes.” “I say,” the earl interjected, still largely in shock, “this is quite unexpected news.” James frowned. He ignored his father’s extremely unprofound statement and concentrated on Luna. Unexpected news? Somehow it qualified as more than just that. “Did you…” He threw a hand toward her. “…annul it?” She shrugged, apparently not as overset as he was. Of course, if what she was telling him was accurate, she’d had eleven years to come to terms with it. “No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have known how to annul it had I tried. Nor did I know how to find you after you disappeared the next morning. Besides,” she shrugged again, looking away as her cheeks stained a becoming scarlet, “it was consummated.” James grew immediately erect. Fully erect. Ten inches erect. The thought was a provocative one. But not the one he wished to dwell on at the moment. He pushed his need for her from the forefront of his mind. “Luna,” he whispered, still suffering the effects of the biggest shock of his life, “you are telling me that you are my wife?” She nodded briskly, efficiently, no holds barred. “Yes.” Before James could say anything further, the front door of Witch’s Cupboard crashed open. “Mommy! I’m back!” Star came bouncing into the café with all the exuberance of a ten-year-old girl. James’ mouth fell open as all the pieces of the puzzle came together. “Hi grandpa Charley! Remember you promised me I could help you and grandma Emelda in the store today. You didn’t forget, did ya?” Charles Sebastian swallowed roughly. He turned toward Luna and lifted a brow. Her terrified expression said it all. Star did not know. This beautiful girl was his granddaughter in truth. The knowledge overwhelmed him, but lightened his heart at the same time. “No of course I didn’t forget, sweet pea.” He cleared his throat. “Come dear, let us go get busy. Granddad and grandmum will get you a cookie, hm?” “Stellar!” Star meandered her way up to Luna’s side and tugged at her hand. “Mommy? Mommy what ’s wrong? Your aura doesn’t look very well. Are you sick?” “What? No.” Luna’s gaze clashed with James’. His eyes were wide with emotion and shock. Realizing what she now did, she couldn’t blame him. This was a lot to absorb in five minutes time. She tore her gaze away from him and smiled hesitantly at her daughter. “How was school, pumpkin?”

“Good. Mommy who’s this? Is this Uncle Oliver’s brother?” James sucked in his breath when Star turned around and he got his first thorough look at her. The child was his spitting image. Violet eyes like her mother’s, but otherwise his mirror image. “Hi. I’m Star.” Her impish grin was the most beautiful thing he’d even laid eyes on. “What’s your name?” ***** Luna squeezed Star’s hand as she drew her down to sit next to her on the couch inside of the modest stone cottage they shared. “Are you certain you’re alright, pumpkin?” She took an anguished breath and released it. “And are you certain you’re not angry at mommy for not telling you sooner?” Star turned everything over in her mind for a suspended moment as she considered her mother. She shook her head. “I’m certain, mommy.” Confident in her conclusions, she nodded again, more adamantly. “You thought you were doing the right thing, so how can I be mad at you?” she asked, sounding years older than what she was. Luna closed her eyes briefly then smiled warmly down to her daughter. “I was so afraid you’d hate me,” she said shakily. “You do understand that I had no idea how to find your father, don’t you?” “Yes, mommy.” Star’s smile was wistful. “But now that we have found him I want all of us to be together just like we’re supposed to be.” Luna hesitated, not certain what to say. Yes, she knew James wanted to see his daughter as soon as possible—he’d whispered that very thing to her before he’d allowed her time to leave and inform Star of their relationship—but she doubted he wanted anything to do with her, with his wife. She shook her head. He probably planned to divorce her as soon as possible. “Star, sweetheart,” she softly began as she brushed a silky blonde tress out of her eyes, “I know your father wants to be with you. I know he wants to see you as much as possible.” Luna left it at that, not bringing up her own involvement with James. Luckily Star didn’t seem to notice. “Do you think he’ll like me?” Star asked excitedly. “He already does. He thinks you’re totally stellar.” Star grinned, hoping that was so. “When can I see him? Will he be at Witch’s Cupboard tomorrow? Can I call him daddy or do I have to call him James? Will...” Luna chuckled as she listened to her daughter rattle off a long list of questions without so much as taking a breath. Star was obviously quite happy with this turn in the goddess’ ultimate plan. Luna was simply elated that her daughter didn’t blame her in any way for having never gotten to spend time with James before. A knock at the cottage door made both witches fall silent. Luna scrunched up her face, wondering who on earth would be coming here at this hour of the night. Before she could react, Star shot up off of the couch and used her powers to make the door crash open in her excitement. It was James. Luna sucked in her breath. She stood up, not certain what to think or do. Just looking at him made her nervous. And all of these years later, she noted with a frown, her body still moistened at the mere sight of him, greeting him as though eleven years had not gone by. Luna dismissed her thoughts as she watched Star bound over to him and smile at him as though he was a golden god.

“Daddy,” she breathed out reverently.

Chapter 4 James felt tears gathering in his eyes as he watched his daughter study him wistfully. He had been prepared for many things. He had been prepared for her anger, prepared to have to work at earning her caring. He had not been prepared for her to look at him as though he was her hero. The action made him feel glorious, and yet completely unworthy. He held out his arms to Star, damn near crying when she leapt into them with such force that she almost toppled both of them over in his wheelchair. Chuckling, he hugged her tightly, glancing up at his wife as he held her. His wife. Good god, it was so much to take in. Here he had been trying to figure out a way to date the exquisite woman standing on the other side of the room and it turned out he’d been married to her for eleven years. The irony of it all was not lost on him. James smiled at Luna who was nibbling on her lower lip anxiously, a habit he found oddly endearing. He opened up his mouth to speak, but just then his father and step-mum came up behind him. Apparently, now knowing as they did that Star was their granddaughter, they were as needful of seeing her as was he. And they no doubt had a lot of questions for all parties concerned. “I say,” the earl intoned, “why are the two of you sitting out here hugging at the door stoop? It’s a bit chilly out. James, wheel yourself in, son. Star, come give your granddad a hug.” James chuckled when Star hugged him tightly one more time, then bounded off of his lap and toward her grandparents. “He’s my daddy,” he heard her whisper as he wheeled himself all of the way into the cottage. Daddy . Good god what that word did to his heart. James stopped next to Luna, regarding her intently. She darted her eyes away from him, clearly nervous and not knowing what to do. “Luna,” he said softly, “we must talk.” She nodded, finally meeting his gaze. “I know.” She sighed, whispering down to him as she watched Star converse with her grandparents. “I suppose you’ll be wanting a divorce as quickly as possible.” James’ eyes widened. No! Definitely not. A divorce was the furthest thing from his mind. It wasn’t even on his mind. Nor was it a possibility. His nostrils flaring, he wondered if his newly discovered wife planned to bring an end to their marriage with all haste. Well too bad, he thought definitively. Such a possibility was not about to happen. Not now when he’d finally found her, when he’d discovered that his dream woman was wondrously real. He opened up his mouth to tell her to forget any plans of divorce, but was waylaid by the sound of Emelda’s voice. “Luna, lovie, Charley and I want tae spend some time with Star. Can we take her up tae the mansion

that the deuce of ye might...” She looked pointedly at both of them. “...talk?” James was torn by the desire to spend time with the daughter he desperately wanted to get to know and the desire to acquaint himself with the wife he wanted to get to know in other ways. In the end rationality took over. It was important that he and Luna talk. “An excellent notion,” he murmured. Luna met his gaze and swallowed roughly. “Yes,” she squeaked, “I agree.” ***** She had expected many things. Many, many things. She had expected that her husband would want to spend a lot of time with Star. She had expected that he would have a lot of questions about what their daughter had been like growing up—which he had. But namely she had expected that her husband would want to divorce her as quickly and as quietly as possible. She had not, not by any conceivable stretch of the imagination, expected this. Luna drew in a steadying breath as she regarded him. And oh he looked so handsome this rising, so sinfully breathtaking. “I’m not sure what to say,” she shakily admitted as she plopped down onto the couch. “You want us to come live with you?” “Yes.” James inclined his head, his jaw clenching as he wondered if she was about to deny him. He would not, however, take no for an answer. He didn’t care what he had to do. His wife and his daughter were returning to Brummel with him whether they cared to or not. If it took all night to coax her into giving it a try, then by all means he’d stay and do so. “This is a lot to take in. It would be a huge change for all of us.” She wasn’t saying no. Not yet. James took confidence in that. “Yes, it will be. But one for the better, I ’d wager.” Her nose wrinkled as she considered him. She looked so adorable he wanted to pull her down onto his lap and kiss her senseless. Well that and other things. Her breasts were so full and ripe, her legs so long and glorious, her hips so womanly and lush. He felt himself growing hard again just looking at her. “Star can be a handful, you know.” James smiled. “I know.” He qualified that statement a bit. “Actually I don’t know, but I’d very much like to.” Luna nibbled on her lower lip. It would be nice of her if she did what he wanted—very nice of her. It would give daughter and father the opportunity to try and make up for all of the years they’d missed out on together. But, she thought with a wistful sigh, could she stand living in the same house with her husband? She suspected that the more time she spent with him, the less she’d want to divorce him...and the more she’d be heartbroken when he finally saw fit to divorce her. But what if, she asked herself on an indrawn breath, what if she was able to make her husband want to stay with her? What if he spent time with her and decided he wanted to make their marriage work, just as she’d been hoping to make it work eleven years ago? “Well Luna,” James murmured, breaking her out of her reverie, “what do you think?” Luna’s eyes darted over to meet his. She was not a coward. Even if her grand plans never came to fruition, at least she would have given it a stellar try. And besides, he was right. The three of them needed to spend time together, needed to get to know each other. How else could she make her own husband fall in love with her? She nodded slowly, then again more definitively. “Yes,” she said simply. “We will move to Brummel

with you.” James’ eyes widened almost imperceptibly. He smiled, clearly pleased. “Then let’s get you moved,” he said softly. Luna bit her lip. His aura was glowing hotly. Bright reds and yellows. It almost made a witch wonder if her husband’s elation was due solely to the fact that his daughter was moving in with him, or if a tiny part of him wanted Luna for herself. She smiled at him for the first time, her almond-shaped violet eyes baring her heart for a fraction of a second before she stifled her reaction to his nearness, to knowing she would at last, after eleven long years, be with her husband. “Yes,” she agreed, flinging her arm in a manner that caused boxes to begin packing themselves, “let’s get us moved.” James watched the objects fly about the stone cottage with his mouth agape. Shaking his head in the curiousness and wonder of this twist in fate, he squirmed in his wheelchair a bit. “By all means.”

Chapter 5 “Thank-you for helping me from the car, father.” James cleared his throat. “But if you don’t mind...” He let his sentence trail off as he glanced toward Witch’s Cupboard. “I understand, son.” The earl inclined his head. “You wish to speak with your wife alone. Don’t worry. Emelda and I shall make ourselves scarce.” He nodded again. “We’ll pick Star up from school to give you extra time.” “But I’ve picked her up every day this past week. She’ll be expecting—” “James,” his father cut in, “before we found out Star was your daughter she walked home with her friends every day.” He chuckled. “She’ll be fine with her grandparents picking her up.” James sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. “It’s just...” He sighed again. “I understand,” the earl offered softly. “You lost out on the first ten years of her life. But,” he pointed out in realistic tones, “you can’t make up for ten years in the span of a week, son.” James smiled. “Logically, I’m aware of that fact. But my heart...” “I know. And I know that you and your daughter enjoy spending time with one another, but it’s healthy for Star to continue developing the friendships she’d been forming before your arrival into her life.” Charles Sebastian looked at him pointedly. “And it would help your marriage tremendously if you put half the effort into wooing your wife that you put into wooing your daughter.” James looked away, realizing his father spoke nothing but the truth. He hadn’t tried very hard to spend time with Luna, to get his own wife to fall in love with him. It wasn’t that he had no interest in doing so— quite the opposite. It’s just that deep down he feared her rejection, and he supposed that he’d not gone out of his way to be near her because of that very fear. But, he reminded himself, that was why he was here today sitting in his wheelchair outside the doors of Witch’s Cupboard. He had come to spend time with his wife, to start the wooing process his father had just spoken of. “I agree, father. And I will do all I can to remedy that fact.” “Excellent.” Charles Sebastian nodded briskly before heading back toward his Mercedes where his wife waited on him. “Your step-mum and I shall pick Star up and take her and her friends to a movie or

something.” James’ gaze clashed with his father’s. “What time will you bring her home?” The earl cleared his throat and looked determinedly at his son. “Tomorrow morning.” James swallowed, realizing as he did that his father had just granted he and Luna an entire evening to spend together. Alone. “I see,” he managed over the lump in his throat. Charles harrumphed. “I hope you do.” His regal eyebrows rose fractionally. “The fates have seen fit to bestow upon you a chance to reclaim all of the wonder and glory that goes hand-in-hand with manhood. Take heed not to waste it.” At James’ semi-furrowed brow, the earl sighed in exasperation and clarified his statement so even a moron could understand it. “You’ve a woody, my boy, use it.” James’ rolled his eyes. “I shall endeavor to remember that.” “Excellent.” James watched his father amble away, his eagerness to get back to his wife awaiting him in the car a noticeable thing. He almost envied the earl the relationship he’d found, but was too warmed by his father’ s newly discovered happiness to wish him anything but the best. Besides, it wasn’t as if James couldn’t have the very same thing with a wife of his own. The problem lay in figuring out how to get a certain witch to see things the way he did. James sighed as he glanced toward the front doors of Witch’s Cupboard. He truly had his work cut out for him. ***** “Oh goddess. Oh goddess. OH—GODDDDESSSSSSSS.” James’ nostrils flared as he wheeled himself into the dimly lit café. His heart began to race as he listened to his wife moan and groan, her wails of ecstasy piercing his heart and cleaving it into two. She was making love with another man. He was certain of it. His jaw clenching, James wheeled himself past the abandoned eating parlor inside of Witch’s Cupboard and followed the sound of his wife’s screams. She sounded to be having a good time, he thought bitterly. And no doubt with a man who could walk. A man who could stand up, sweep Luna’s lush body into his arms, and throw her on a bed to make mad, wild love to her. He had no right, he knew, to expect her fidelity. He’d done nothing to earn it save wed, impregnate, and abandon her. Yet he had hoped... James wheeled himself up to the door where, from behind it, the sound of his wife’s orgasm was at its peak. Angrier by the second, he balled his hand into a fist and prepared to pound on the door. “Oh. My. Goddess.” His jaw clenched tighter. No, James decided as his entire body shook with rage, if his wife wished to cheat on him, then he would do the only thing he could think to do. He would wheel in unannounced, catch her in the act, demand her fidelity, and kill whomever it was that was causing her to make such sounds in the first place. Indignant, angry, hurt, and out and out pissed off, James threw open the door preparing to smash his fist into the face of any man on the other side of it. His green eyes narrowed dangerously as they settled

upon... An old man? Shaking his head to clear it, James’ jaw dropped open as he took in the scene before him. His wife was sitting at a round table, her head thrown back, her arm reaching out before her and making a twisting motion as if tuning an old-fashioned radio dial. She was writhing and moaning, the whites of her eyes visible as she continued to moan and convulse, giving him an erection so hard he thought it might turn to stone. And the man in the room—the room’s only male occupant save himself—was eighty-years-old if he was a day. He was seated across from Luna at the table, his equally elderly wife clutching his hand. “What’s happening to her Lewis?” the old woman cried out. “Should we call for help?” she wailed. “Is she a diabetic?” Lewis looked as dumbstruck as James felt. “I truly cannot say, my dear. I’m not altogether certain—” “In the attic,” Luna moaned, slapping a hand to her forehead as she seemingly regained her sensibilities. “The attic?” Lewis asked. “Yes.” Luna sat straight up in her chair, her appearance completely normal. James blinked as he watched her beam a smile toward the elderly couple, wondering how such a transformation could have evolved so rapidly. One minute she’s nearing the cliff of climax and the next she looks as though nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired. Luna nodded triumphantly. “The proof you need to lay claim to the estate is in your attic.” Lewis’ eyes lit up. “Any idea where, Ms. Xavier?” James’ jaw clenched. It was Lady Brummel, not Ms. Xavier... Luna’s eyes squinted closed for a moment, just long enough to induce the woman at Lewis’ side to get nervous. “Oh dear. You’re not about to have another attack, are you? I’ve candy in my purse if you think it will calm you.” James stifled a chuckle as he watched his wife’s lips pinch together tightly. Apparently she was long accustomed to people thinking her visions odd—or at least the sounds that accompanied them—but instead of reprimanding the elderly woman for being insensitive, her eyes softened, apparently having realized that the couple was not used to seeing such things happen and had no idea it was a normal event for her. He couldn’t blame the couple. He had been as stunned as they were. “I’m feeling stellar,” Luna insisted with a nod. “Thank-you for your concern.” “Of course, my dear.” “Now Ms. Xavier,” Lewis broke in, his excitement tangible, “have you any notion where in the attic these papers might be retrieved from?” It’s not, James thought with a snarl, Ms. Xavier. It’s— “I’ve envisioned a doll case,” Luna broke in, snapping James’ attention back to her. “A doll wearing a pink lacy dress with—” “Oh dear!” Lewis’ wife exclaimed. “It’s the china doll you’re speaking of.” She chuckled. “I’ve had Bettina for an age. Forgot all about her until just now.” Luna smiled. “Which explains why you’d forgotten where you hid the papers. They’re in her case. I’m certain of it.”

“Excellent!” Lewis stood up, the smile on his weathered face bright enough to illuminate a pitch-black cavern. He offered his hand to James’ wife who stood up to shake it. “I daresay you were worth every pound, my dear. I shall refer all of my friends to you if ever they’ve the need of such services.” Luna’s violet eyes sparkled. “How sweet of you, Mr. Toddworthy. I appreciate that. I—” James watched a myriad of emotions cross his wife’s face when her eyes landed on him, noticing his presence for the first time. She quickly schooled her features and turned her attention back to the elderly couple. “Please,” she said somewhat breathlessly, “let me see you out.” Lewis waved that away as he took his wife’s elbow. “You’ve done more than enough. We can see ourselves out. Good day to you, Ms. Xavier.” It’s not, James inwardly hissed, Ms. Xavier. It’s— “James,” Luna murmured, nervously coming to stand before him as the Toddworthys passed him by and took their leave. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes searched his face, looking for any hint of his intentions. James smiled slowly, his countenance completely restored since having realized his wife was not cheating him. In fact, he felt better than restored. He felt elated. He cleared his throat as he regarded her, his expression turned serious. The light in his eyes continued to sparkle with mischief, however. “I’ve come to woo you.” Luna visibly gulped. “Woo me?” she squeaked. James met her gaze determinedly. For some reason he could not name, her virginal-like nervousness was an aphrodisiac. “You’re my wife,” he said softly, “and I want you to be my wife in every way.” Chapter 6 Luna wasn’t certain what to make of this new twist in the goddess’ ultimate plan. She had hoped this would happen, had prayed that her husband would come to desire her, but now that he had shown a spark of interest in her she wasn’t altogether certain what to do about it. When she and Star had moved to Brummel with James a week ago this rising, she had planned to do all that she could to make her husband fall in love with her. But she hadn’t. She had done nothing to bring them closer together, fearing that he might reject her again as he’d done eleven years past. Of course, according to her husband and his aura, he had no recollection of having rejected her the first time. As they entered the front doors to the Brummel estate after having returned from an evening out, Luna closed the doors softly behind them and followed her husband into his study. She turned around to face him while he prepared drinks at the small, compact bar, her nervousness no doubt apparent as she accepted a glass of wine from his hand. He was watching her intently, she knew, and once again she wasn’t certain what to make of that fact. She had no experience with men outside of her brief fling with her husband eleven years ago and for the first time in forever she truly regretted that fact. Perhaps if she had more experience with the opposite gender, she’d know what she was supposed to do now. She’d know how to seduce the man sitting in the wheelchair across from her. Good goddess did he look scrumptious this rising. She’d always thought him a handsome man, but seeing him outfitted in an Armani suit and tie was enough to make her knees tremble and her belly knot up and...

She sighed. Why not just admit it? She was so wet she felt as though she’d had an accident in her panties. “Thank-you, James,” she offered with a smile, “I had a stellar time tonight.” And truly, she had. He had wined her and dined her. He had listened intently to every word she had uttered as if the sound of her voice alone was reason enough to do so. He had made her smile with his teasing grins and made her laugh with his amusing stories. And, she thought with a small sigh of resignation, he had made her fall hopelessly, one hundred percent, without a doubt in love with him. If she’d fallen in love with his aura in Las Vegas, she’d fallen madly in love with the rest of him tonight. James quirked an eyebrow. “Why the sigh then?” He smiled. “I hope all of the stories from my university days didn’t bore you beyond repair.” Luna’s eyes widened into the shape of round almonds. “No, not at all,” she said fervently, “I had a wonderful time tonight.” He studied her face. She looked lovely tonight in a black skirt with a matching—and snugly fitting— black top and slip-on shoes. But then again she always looked lovely to him. The woman could wear a potato sack and his erection would still be full-blown. “Then why the sigh?” he repeated, though more gently this time. Luna shrugged, not about to tell him that she’d realized she was as hopelessly in need of him as she’d been eleven years past. Or the fact that she was wet enough to put out a forest fire. “I just had such a stellar time,” she said instead, “that I hate to see it come to an end.” She nodded to underscore her words. That was at least the truth. James’ eyes found hers. He raised his glass of wine to his lips and took a brief sip. “It doesn’t have to come to an end,” he said softly. Luna gulped. Her face staining red, she cleared her throat and looked away. “What would you like to do?” she stammered out, walking away from him to stand at the windows and gaze outside into the night. “Play cards?” she squeaked. “Read a book?” She wet her lips. “B-Bake some bread? Perhaps we could —oh my,” she finished weakly. The feel of a very masculine hand snaking around from behind her and settling intimately on her upper thigh caused her to suck in her breath. The hand began to rub her skin softly, tracing downwards to her knee then back up—farther up, disappearing under her skirt to rub at her upper thigh. “Oh my goddess,” she breathed out, her eyes closing. “Luna, look at me,” James murmured. He felt his own breathing growing heavier as his erection stabbed up against the fabric of his trousers. He continued to stroke her thigh. “Turn around and look at me.” Luna hesitated for a moment, the feelings he was conjuring up wicked and right at the same time. She’ d never in her whole life, not even in Las Vegas, felt as keenly aroused as she felt at this moment. And all this from a simple touch to her leg. Good goddess she wished the man could get a woody. Luna turned around slowly and found herself standing before her sitting husband. He raised both hands to her legs, his palms moving slowly up them until they found their destination at her buttocks. “Oh my.” She bit her lip, not certain what to do. She was hardly schooled in the art of seduction as it was. Adding into that already confusing dilemma was the fact that she knew nothing about what to do intimately with a man who could only get so close to her. “I’m here, James.”

He smiled, his eyes meeting hers. “I know that, sweetheart.” Luna sucked in her breath as he palmed her buttocks firmly and began to knead them. “Oh my goddess,” she breathed out again, her nipples hardening. Not certain what to do, and embarrassed because of it, her gaze fell from his, settling on her husband’ s...lap. “Oh my goddess!” she said louder. Swallowing roughly, Luna’s eyes widened and shot back up to meet James’. “You’re...you’re...” He grinned. “Hard as a poker?” he offered teasingly. She gulped. “Uh huh.” Her violet eyes bulging, she searched his face. “I thought...” She hesitated for a moment. “I thought you weren’t able to—” “I wasn’t,” he admitted. She nodded, though she didn’t know why. “The thirteen was able to help you then?” she asked dumbly, not really knowing what else to say. “No.” Her eyes widened. “Then who?” James squeezed her buttocks. “You,” he said thickly. “Just you.” Luna’s breath caught at his admission, then caught again when his palms left her buttocks and began hiking up her skirt. Her arousal was so instant and overwhelming that she began to shake a bit, her hands coming down to rest on his shoulders as he pulled down her panties and leaned toward her to place a soft kiss on the nest of clipped black curls between her thighs. “James,” she whispered. “I need you, Luna,” he whispered back, his lips still placing kisses in the tuft of silky curls. “For eleven years I thought you were a dream.” His tongue found her clit and drew it into his mouth. He sucked on it until she gasped, then released it. “I need to know you’re a reality.” Luna’s eyes softened and her heart skipped out a glorious beat as she listened to the words that crumbled her last defenses. Stepping away from him, her eyes found his as she pushed her skirt down her legs and stepped out of both it and her panties. James discarded his jacket, shirt, and tie, then unbuttoned his trousers as he watched his wife undress. When her top came off next, followed by her brassiere, all he could do was breathe in deeply to steady himself. She was perfection to him. Absolute perfection. “Luna,” he said hoarsely, “I want you to sit on the table behind you and spread your legs wide for me, sweetheart.” Luna nibbled on her lower lip for a moment, then relented with a small nod. She wasted no more time in complying. She had wanted him for so long, had prayed for this moment more times than she cared to admit to herself. And now here he was. And he wanted her. James’ nostrils flared as he watched his wife hop up onto the table and spread her thighs open for him. He wheeled himself up close to her, positioning his chair so his mouth was in line with her vagina. He glanced upwards to catch her expression, not disappointed when he realized with all certainty that she was as aroused as was he. Her eyes were glazed over, her beautiful breasts were heaving up and down as she sucked in gulps of air. The scent of her arousal was further proof, the glistening between her thighs evidence that she wanted him. “I’ve waited for you my entire life,” he murmured. “Do you think you can love a man like me, Luna?”

Her eyes widened in confusion. “A man like you?” “A man who cannot walk.” She wasn’t given any time to answer him for James chose that precise moment to bury his face between her thighs. Luna sucked in her breath, moaning as his tongue curled around her clit and drew it into the heat of his mouth. “James.” James feasted on her clit and labia like a man possessed. He licked at her, lapped at her, groaned as he sucked on her. He had never wanted a woman so powerfully as he wanted his wife. From the moment he’d clapped sober eyes on her at his brother’s wedding every cell in his body had felt alive. As if he’d been awoken from a life’s long slumber. Luna’s head fell back as her husband continued to suck on her intimately. She groaned as her orgasm approached, the feel of his lips and tongue working so vigorously at her clit enough to send her over the edge. “James.” Her legs shaking, she reached down and ran her hand through her husband’s hair, then pressed his face in closer to her center. “Please,” she begged him on a moan, “suck harder.” James complied on a groan, sucking on her swollen clit with an animalistic abandon. He heard her breathing grow shallow, knew she would succumb at any moment. Reaching up, he drew a breast into his hand and began to roll her extended nipple around between his fingers while he lapped at her sopping wet center. “Oh yes.” Luna’s back arched as she pressed her vagina closer to his mouth. Trembling, her nipples stabbed upwards as an orgasm ripped through her, causing her belly to contract and her entire body to convulse. “James.” James lapped up her juices, damn near growling as he did so. He was so aroused, so goddamned hard. And he knew exactly what he wanted his wife to do about it. Raising his head from between her legs, James’ gaze found Luna’s. “Come sit on my lap,” he panted, his eyes glossy with passion. “Let me slide inside of you, sweetheart.” Luna didn’t even hesitate as James lowered the arms on his wheelchair. Alighting from the tabletop, she immediately came down on top of him, clutching his thick penis firmly at the base. “I want you so much,” she whispered. “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted.” James’ eyes widened and softened. “Luna,” he said thickly, “you can’t possibly mean that.” But god how he wished it was true. She straddled his lap, settling the tip of his erection at the opening of her vagina. “It’s true,” she admitted, wanting so much for this moment to last forever. “You’re the only man I’ve ever been with. I could never bring myself to make love with anyone but you.” James’ jaw clenched as pure and unadulterated possessiveness overwhelmed him. Reaching up to palm her buttocks, his eyes met hers once again. “I’m glad to hear that, Luna. We will never be separated again. You know that, don’t you?” She smiled a bit sadly. “I’ve been hoping. But I...” “There is no but about it, Luna. You are my wife. After tonight you will be my wife in every way.” His jaw clenched impossibly tighter as he pulled her body down to envelope his. The sound of her sucking in her breath as he buried himself inside of her to the hilt made his feelings of possessiveness near a maddening level. “You will never touch another man,” he gritted out as she began to slowly ride him. “Never.”

“I don’t want to any way,” she returned breathlessly. James clutched her hips, guiding them down to bury himself deeper. He held them there, the heavy musculature in his arms finding no trouble at keeping her steady, unable to move on top of him. She glanced down as if exasperated, causing him to find his first grin. He stifled it a moment later, the seriousness of his feelings once again taking precedence. “I mean it, Luna. And no more Ms. Xavier either. From this night forward you will speak of yourself as Lady Brummel to others. Are we understood?” Her black eyebrows rose fractionally at his arrogant command, but she loved him too much to be bothered by it. Besides, his possessiveness of her could only mean he was beginning to grow attached feelings toward her...didn’t it? Good goddess how she hoped so. “Y-Yes.” “Good.” James allowed her to move up and down on him as a reward for her answer. Her eyes closed as she did so, the feel of him buried inside of her too exquisite to do anything but. “You like the way I feel inside of you,” he said hoarsely. “What else do you like sweetheart?” He clutched her hips tighter, his fingers digging into the soft flesh he found there. “I’ve eleven years to make up for and I plan to start this very moment. Tell me what you like.” “Anything you want,” she moaned, picking up the pace of her riding. She bounced up and down on top of him, her nipples stabbing out appreciatively as her breasts jiggled in time with her movements. “Luna,” he ground out, “do you have any idea how good you feel? My cock is ready to burst already.” She moaned and rode him faster. James’ glazed over eyes watched her knowingly. His thumb found her clit and began to rub it as she rode up and down the length of him. “You like it when I use dirty words,” he murmured. His tongue darted out and lapped at an erect nipple. When she moaned as an answer, he began to rub her clit more briskly. “I love this tight pussy,” he said hoarsely, the words grounded out. “Or do you prefer the word cunt?” he asked brazenly. Luna moaned, riding him faster still. Her breasts bounced up and down inducing James to groan and bury his face in between them. He surfaced a moment later with a nipple in his mouth, his lips and teeth tugging at it, the sounds emitting from his throat primitive growls. “Oh James.” She let everything go, riding his cock with wanton abandon. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, steadying herself as she rode up and down, harder and deeper with each movement. “I can’t hold back much longer,” James gritted out. His thumb rubbed her clit more briskly, causing her juices to began trickling down to where they were joined. “Come for your husband,” he said thickly. “Come on my cock, sweetheart.” Luna gasped as pleasure surged through her. She groaned as her eyes began to roll back in her head. She rode him faster and faster, impaling herself over and over again until— “James.” Her neck fell limp as her body began to shudder and convulse, her vagina contracting around his flesh as if trying to milk him for seed. She moaned and groaned, writhing on top of him as her orgasm ripped through her. “Oh James,” she moaned out unthinkingly, “give me a son this time.”

James’ nostrils flared at her primal demand, his body responding to it immediately. Groaning from her words as well as the intense pleasure, from experiencing sensations he hadn’t ever thought to experience again, he clutched her hips firmly and, buried to the hilt, poured himself deep inside of her. “Christ.” James gritted his teeth as his wife continued to ride him, her body extracting every bit of sperm he could make in a single episode of lovemaking. “Take it all, sweetheart,” he panted out. “It’s all yours.” Luna did. She rode him until he’d gone flaccid, his penis soft and snuggled beneath her buttocks. Smiling with a near giddy euphoria, she wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed him with all of the love that had been buried in her heart for eleven long years. She had hoped and she had prayed, but she had never thought to have him. And yet now she did. She knew—knew—he would never leave her. She might not have won his heart yet, but for now knowing that she had all the time in the world to make him love her as she loved him was enough. It was more than enough. It was bliss. Chapter 7 James laughed as Star used her powers to make them go round and round in circles in his wheelchair. They played this game every day. After having lived with each other for only ten days it had already become something of a Sebastian ritual. He would pick his daughter up from school, they’d take a whirl about the estate, Star would make them spin until they were dizzy, Luna would yell at them to stop, then they’d all three go in and have dinner together. Together. It was a concept that appealed to James immensely, and on many levels. Ten days ago he had been alone. He’d had his father and step-mum, he’d had his brother and sister-in-law, but it hadn’t been the same as having a family of his own. Now he had one. “This is fun, daddy!” Star giggled out his name as they whirled around, causing James’ heart to contract. Daddy. He would never get tired of the word. “Come now, darling,” he teased, “certainly your powers can go faster than this.” “Like, of course.” Star’s giggling reached new heights as she made them whirl about faster, her arms wrapped around his neck and his about her middle. They laughed as they held onto each other in the garden, the dizziness taking a back seat to the enjoyment. “I think we’re going a bit too fast, darling,” he chuckled. “Slow it down a bit.” Star ceased her giggling and clutched onto his neck tighter, her eyes widening in fright. “I-I can’t, daddy!” she cried. “Daddy it won’t stop!” James’ smile immediately faded as he held her firmly by the waist. As fast as they were going he feared what might happen if Star were to fall from his lap. She could end up like him. Or worse. “It’s alright, sweetheart,” he said in gentle tones hoping to calm her, “you’ll get it under control. Just relax and do it.”

Star closed her eyes tightly and tried her best to concentrate, but she was too worked up to rein in her powers. The chair began spinning out of control, causing her to scream. “Mommy! Mommy!” Luna came tearing out of the estate, dashing toward them in the garden at top speed. Her heart raced as she raised her hand in an effort to make the chair stop spinning—but she was too late. She watched in horror as the chair spun out of control, flipping over and taking her husband and daughter with it. “Oh no!” She ran toward where they laid sprawled out on the grass, Star crying as she pleaded with her father to forgive her. James had never released their daughter, Luna noted. Not even when they’d gone catapulting toward the ground. “I’m sorry daddy,” Star cried out quietly as her bottom lip began to quiver. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m not as good as mommy yet.” James hugged her tightly, his fingers running through her hair. “It’s alright,” he assured her, his heart rate finally calming, “I know you didn’t mean to, darling. It was just an accident.” Luna knelt down beside them, her eyes round as full moons. “Are you two okay?” she panted, still struggling for breath from her quick run. She hugged Star tightly for a moment then turned to hug her husband. When he didn’t return the embrace, her eyes flew up to meet his. He wouldn’t look at her either. “James?” she asked softly, “what’s wrong?” Luna bit down on her lip, worried that the magic of the past three days was nearing an end. It had seemed too good to be true, having her husband’s undivided attention, having him stare at her as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world, having him make love to her so many times and in so many ways that he’d all but made up for eleven painfully lonely years in seventy-two hours of wonderful. “He’s mad at me,” Star said quietly. “I know you say you’re not mad, daddy, but your aura tells me different.” James sighed. It took some getting used to, living with females a man couldn’t shield anything from, even his thoughts. His daughter, however, was wrong on one score. “Sweetheart, I am not mad at you.” He sighed again, his eyes closing briefly. “I’m just mad at...at myself I suppose.” Luna’s and Star’s identical violet eyes widened at the same time. “Why?” they asked simultaneously. His face stained a bit red. “Because I should have been able to do something to help. But,” he sighed, “my damn legs made it impossible.” Finally he glanced toward Luna. His eyes met hers and he admitted the truth. “Call me a throw-back to the fifties, but it makes me feel less a man when it’s my wife my daughter cries out for instead of me,” he murmured. Luna’s face flushed guiltily. She bit her lip and looked away. James’ fingers brushed through her hair. “I’m not blaming you, Luna. It’s hardly your fault. I’m just...frustrated.” He chuckled, attempting to lighten the dark moment he’d caused. “Besides, it isn’t as though you could do anything to remedy the situation.” Oh but she could, she thought morosely. If only she weren’t afraid that— “Mommy can make you walk!” Star said excitedly. “Can’t you mommy?” She threw her arms around James’ neck. “I’m not that powerful, but mommy is!” James’ gaze shot up to meet Luna’s. Her eyes shifted away from his before she stood up to leave. “Luna?” he asked softly. Her back went rigid. She didn’t turn around to look at him. “Yes?”

He cleared his throat. “Is it true? Can you make me walk again?” “Of course she can!” Star interjected with a grin. “Mommy’s the best witch in the world. She can—” “No.” Luna’s back tensed impossibly tighter before she began to walk away. “I’m sorry James but I won’t make you walk again.” “Won’t?” James murmured. “Not can’t?” Luna stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. She turned her head to glance back over her shoulder at her husband. “Won’t,” she quietly admitted. James’ eyes widened not so much from her admission as from the fear he heard in her voice, the melancholia that had made her eyes go dim and look so haunted. Oh my god, he thought with a sudden pang of awareness, she thinks that— “Oh Luna,” he murmured. “I won’t ever leave you.” Her gaze fell from his. She turned back around so she no longer faced him. “That’s what you told me eleven years ago,” she whispered. ***** James stared broodingly out of the windows of his study, his wheelchair sitting before a view overlooking the firth. As he gazed out into the night all he could wonder was where his wife was at this very moment. And, he thought with a certain amount of foreboding, he wondered what it was she was doing. Did she plan to leave him? Cast him aside before he could do it to her? He never would, of course, but he realized his wife was unconvinced of that fact. He had, after all, abandoned her once before. Until this afternoon when his wife’s fears had come to the surface, James had been able to excuse his actions eleven years ago as the actions of a drunk, a man he no longer was. But now he realized the fact that he’d been a drunk made little difference in the grand scheme of things. Any way he looked at it he had married a woman, taken her virginity, abandoned her whilst she was pregnant, and left her to rear their daughter alone. Drunk or not, Luna had had eleven years of perceived abandonment to live through, of thinking herself unworthy of being loved by another person...and by him in particular. Did he really expect her to get over it in ten days? And when only three of those ten days had been spent intimately with her husband? James raked a punishing hand through his hair and sighed. Of course not. And now he could only wonder if she’d have him back. As he and Star had sat there on the grass staring after Luna’s retreating form this afternoon, she had ran from the gardens and disappeared to only who knows where. That had been hours ago. Every moment she was gone made the feeling of impending disaster grow worse. And he didn’t want to lose her. Not now. Not ever. He was in love with his wife. He’d been in love with the flashes of impressions he’d carried of her these past eleven years and now he was in love with her in truth. James glanced down at his legs—his useless, immobile legs—and knew without a doubt what he’d choose if ever given the chance. He’d choose his wife. *****

Back in Blackshire, Luna stood atop the cliff overlooking the firth that was near the cottage she and Star had lived in when first arriving in England. She crossed her arms under her breasts and stared down into the icy waters as the cold, wet wind whipped her black curls wildly about her face. She was selfish. And she knew it. Luna closed her eyes briefly, the self-loathing she felt overwhelming her. What she had done this afternoon, what she’d been doing ever since clapping eyes on her husband at Sunny and Oliver’s wedding, and most especially since James had asked her to move in with him... It wasn’t right. Luna bit down on her bottom lip until a droplet of crimson blood stained it. She had never hated herself the way she hated herself this moment. She could do it. She could give her husband the ability to walk again. She could restore his body to its full potential as though he’d never suffered a riding accident years ago. She could give him the one gift he wanted more than any other. And yet she hadn’t. Out of a fear of being abandoned once the deed had been done, she had ignored the voice of conscience that continued to eat at her soul, opting instead to revel in James’ dependence on her. All of her life, the only thing Luna had ever wanted was to fit in, to have friends that cared about her and one day a husband who adored her. But growing up she had learned the brutal way that such a fate would never come to pass. People had been frightened of her, especially when she had been a child and unable to control her powers the way she was able to do now without too much effort. Occasionally, every once in a rare while, a girl or boy from school had befriended her, giving her the impression that at last she’d found somebody who didn’t care that she was different from them. But each and every time it had turned out to be a lie. They would befriend her, yes, but once she granted them their heart’s desire they had abandoned her without looking back. You’re a freak , one man had taunted her. What man could possibly fall in love with a freak? Luna batted away the tears with her eyelashes, relegating the old memories to the back of her mind. James was her husband. And what’s more he was the man she’d loved for eleven years, the only man she’d love for an entire lifetime. If her love was real, she knew, she’d grant him his heart’s desire. She’d give him the ability to walk again. But then he would disappear. Into the mystic. Luna took a deep breath as she arrived at a decision. She’d never be able to live with herself if she didn’t do what she knew to be right. Most witches would have had to concentrate as they cast a healing spell. Most witches would have had to burn incense and chant to bring them closer to the goddess. Luna waved a hand in the general direction of Brummel then let it drop slowly to her side. She smiled, knowing she had given the man she loved what he wanted more than anything in the world. It no longer mattered if he cast her aside because she had given him her gift with love in her heart. It was done. James could walk. And now she would disappear. Into the mystic.

Chapter 8 James’ nostrils flared as he watched his wife quietly creep out of Star’s bedroom with their sleeping daughter in her arms about to leave for only who knows where. He prepared to wheel toward her, but remembering he could now stand, strode instead. Odd, but when he’d realized an hour past that he had the ability to walk it had meant very little to him. Probably because he had also realized how the miracle had come to pass in the first place, and what the miracle worker herself would think he’d do after receiving it. “What,” he bit out, startling a gasp of surprise out of Luna, “are you doing?” Her violet eyes widened as she regarded James. “I w-won’t take her far,” she whispered so as not to wake Star up. “I’m just moving us back to the cottage is all.” “You’re not moving her anywhere.” Luna gasped. “You can’t mean to take her from me.” James cringed at the very real fright in her eyes. She couldn’t possibly think him to be that wretched, could she? He sighed. She probably did. And what’s more, she had the right. “Luna,” he said softly, “we need to talk.” He moved toward her and lifted Star up effortlessly into his arms. His gaze clashed with his wife’s. “But I’m putting our daughter back to bed first.” Luna nodded, but said nothing. She watched him disappear into Star’s bedroom and resurface scarcely a few moments later. She allowed him to take her hand and lead her back to their bedroom, the one they’d shared together these past three days. When they got there, James closed the door quietly behind them and led her toward the bed. Sitting her down, he stood before her and then proceeded to pace the length of the room. Luna eyed him warily. She’d never seen him agitated before, so she wasn’t certain what to make of it now. Nevertheless, she wanted this confrontation over and done with. “You’re, uh, walking rather nicely,” she said quietly, hoping to ease the tension a bit. She cleared her throat. “A very masculine, uh, gait.” James stopped pacing and turned around to face her. “Masculine,” he bit out angrily, “no doubt because I am a man.” She glared at him. “Aren’t you happy you can walk again? I thought I was giving you the gift you wanted most of all.” He could only shake his head, exasperated. “Luna, how can I possibly be pleased with this gift as you call it when it’s apparent that it comes at too high a price?” His voice was weary, tired. “If you would have given me the choice between being able to walk again and having you, I would have picked you.” He threw his hands up into the air. “Now I’ve no damn way to prove it!” Luna felt a small pull at her heartstrings. “You really would have picked me?” she asked softly. James went down on his knees before her and took her hands in his. “Yes, damn it, I would have. And what’s more, I want you to turn me back to the way I was.” She sucked in a tug of air. “You can’t mean that!”

“I can and I do.” He released her hands and placed his own on her knees. “I don’t want this between us, Luna. Not now or ever.” His gaze pierced hers. “Deep inside you need me to choose between you and being able to walk and I choose you.” His fingers found their way to her thighs and squeezed the flesh there. “Do you hear me? I. Choose. You.” She hadn’t thought it possible, but Luna felt more wretched now than she had while standing atop the cliff thinking about what a jerk she was. “Oh James,” she murmured as she placed her hands over his, “you don’t have to choose.” “Yes I do. And I want to choose.” His jaw clenched. “I won’t pretend to know everything you’ve gone through in your life, Luna, but I’ve heard enough stories from Sunny to get the gist of things.” His eyes narrowed, not at her but at all the badness she’d been made to endure at people’s hands, his own included. “I won’t ever have you thinking I’m like the others. I love you, Luna. I love you. I don’t give a damn what kind of magic you can conjure up.” Her eyes lit up as she studied his face. “I love you too, James,” she whispered. “I always have.” He released the breath he’d been holding in. “Thank the heavens for that,” he muttered. Meeting her gaze once again, he inclined his head. “I’m ready,” he announced. “Change me back.” His expression was so solemn that Luna found herself stifling a grin. “No.” He grunted. “Why not?” She bent toward him and kissed the tip of his handsome nose. “Because I love you and I want what’s best for you.” James sighed. “Luna...” She held up a palm. “I believe you, James.” Her smile was glowing. “I really do.” He eyed her skeptically. “I’m not convinced that you’re convinced.” She harrumphed, as exasperated as her husband had been a moment ago. Now she understood the predicament she’d unwittingly placed him in. How could she prove anything? “James,” she repeated more adamantly, “I swear I believe you.” She held up a palm. “A witch’s vow.” He grunted again, but she could tell he was softening from his rigid stance. “I need to be certain.” She sighed. “How?” James thought that over for a moment. His eyes lit up when an idea struck him. “I want you to read my aura.” His hand slashed through the air. “And no humoring me. If I don’t see you writhing about in orgasm, your eyes rolling back so you can see nothing but the whites, and your hand twisting to and fro, then I won’t believe you.” Luna couldn’t help but to giggle. “That doesn’t happen when I read auras. Only when I have visions.” And before he could tell her to do something impossible like have a vision revolving around him and his truthfulness, she forestalled him. “And visions I can’t control. They happen when they happen.” He sighed like a man defeated, inducing Luna’s heart to swell with happiness. “So what you’re saying,” James muttered, “is that I’ve no method by which to prove my words.” She smiled gently. “I never said that.” He raised an eyebrow as he regarded her. “Then how can I prove it?” Luna’s hands came up and her palms settled at either side of his face. “Stay with me forever,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. James closed his eyes in thankfulness. When he opened them, his gaze was intense. “Forever isn’t

nearly long enough, but I’ll take what I can get.” “Oh Ja—” He cut her off with a kiss as one large palm pushed her gently back onto the bed. He needed to be inside of her more than he’d needed anything in his life. His tongue swept into her mouth while his fingers fumbled with the zipper on her jeans. “Damn it,” James muttered, his mouth leaving hers long enough to make a protest. “One would think if you can give me the ability to walk again, you could discard clothing in the blink of an eye.” Luna giggled, but complied. James’ jaw dropped. “That will never fail to amaze me,” he mumbled, noting that both of them were now completely naked. He playfully reached around his wife and swatted her backside. “Scoot up on the bed, sweetheart.” His voice went from teasing to thick. “I need to be inside of you.” A moment later James was kneeling between her spread thighs, staring down at her womanhood appreciatively. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Luna, do you know that?” She ran her hand down his muscled forearm and smiled. “And you are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” He returned the smile. “Well,” he teased, “that’s enough of the mutual admiration society. Your husband wants a piece of ass.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Care to give me some?” For an answer she raised her hips up off of the bed and reared them seductively toward him. “Mmm definitely.” James grabbed the hips she offered to him and slid his cock inside of her in one smooth thrust. He buried himself to the hilt on a groan, and that quickly neither of them felt like teasing any more. “James,” Luna breathed out, arching her back so he could thrust deeper, “you feel so good.” He came down on top of her, his body covering hers, and began to slowly thrust in and out of her. His eyes were glazed over as he found the perfect rhythm, the very one he knew would drive his wife wild with the need for harder, faster thrusts. “Not half as good as your pussy feels, sweetheart.” Luna moaned as he pumped in and out of her, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist. Her fingers dug into his muscled back as she enjoyed the feel of her husband’s deep thrusts. When he came up on his elbows and began plucking at her nipples, it was all she could take. “Harder,” she half begged and half commanded him, “faster.” “Like this?” he ground out. Releasing her nipples, he drew one into his mouth and sucked on it while he used his freed hands to clutch her hips and pump into her flesh ferociously. “James.” He groaned around the nipple, but refused to release it. Their bodies slapped together as he continued to ride her, his lips tugging at the erect bud while he thrust. Luna writhed beneath him, her hips moving madly to welcome each and every stroke. She gasped as he hit a particularly sensitive spot, then gasped again when he honed in on it and pounded away animalistically. “Oh James.” James released her nipple, his teeth gritting as his orgasm approached. “I can’t,” he rasped, “hold out much longer. I want to feel you—oh yes, baby.” He groaned when Luna’s vagina began to spasm, the quick milking motions driving him over the edge. The sound of his wife crying out his name was an added aphrodisiac and the only one he needed to take

him the rest of the way. “Luna.” James moaned out her name as he thrust himself home as deeply as he could go. His muscles corded and tensed, and his fingers dug into her hips as he poured himself hard inside of her. It took a lot of deep breathing and more than a few kisses before he felt ready to dismount her. Collapsing next to his wife on their bed, he drew her into his arms and held her tightly. They laid together that way, neither of them speaking, for several minutes. But finally it was James who broke the silence. “Something just occurred to me,” he murmured. “Mmm. What’s that.” He swallowed a bit roughly. “I can walk,” he whispered. Luna’s head came up off of his chest. She grinned as her gaze found his. “This just occurred to you?” He grunted. “I was so worried I’d lost you I hadn’t had time to really consider it, but now that I have you—for good,” he added definitively, “well, yes, it just occurred to me...” He smiled slowly. “I can walk,” he murmured. Luna smiled fully. “All a part of the goddess’ ultimate plan.” James nodded, his expression turned serious. “It pains me to admit that I was a self-serving bastard prior to the accident.” He squeezed her affectionately. “I might never have realized what I treasure I have in you had the accident never came to pass.” “You also would have been a bigamist.” Luna’s face scrunched up in annoyance. “Sunny told me you had a fiancée before the accident. It’s lucky for you that you didn’t marry her.” He chuckled. “Don’t get your aura in an uproar.” He grinned, kissing the tip of her nose. “It’s you I love. Always.” Luna smiled. “So the goddess’ ultimate plan has once again worked out for the better.” “Yeah.” James snuggled her body in closer to his and closed his eyes in bliss. “It’s a groovy thing.” Epilogue One Year Later, Halloween Night

Viscount and Viscountess Brummel arrived in Blackshire just before sunset, their eleven-year-old daughter and infant son in tow. Luna smiled when she spotted her sister Soleil already working their booth, handing out a piece of her famous sweet potato pie to a customer. “Thanks Harry,” she beamed. “Have a stellar time this rising.” Soleil grinned when she saw her older sister making her way toward her. “Well there she is, Ms. Maternity Leave herself.” She rubbed her hands together when she saw her niece and nephew approaching not far behind, Star clamped to her father’s side and James II nestled into his namesake’s arm. “Star come give auntie a kiss, and James come give me that baby!” “He looks just like me!” Star enthused as she skipped her way into her aunt’s embrace. Luna and James exchanged a grin. Jamie and Star both looked like James, but Star insisted that her

three-month-old brother took after her, not taking into account where it was she got her golden looks from to begin with. “Yes he does,” James chuckled. “And where is my niece Andromeda?” Luna asked as she came to a halt before her sister. Soleil took Jamie from his father’s arms and grinned. “Andi’s with Oliver. And I believe Oliver is still gone picking up Emelda and Charley from the airport.” James raised an eyebrow. “I thought they were due to be back yesterday.” She shrugged. “They were, but your father got held up in London on business. I think that—oh there they come now.” Luna turned on her heel and watched her brother-in-law Oliver make his way toward them with Andi in his arms, the countess and earl beside him. She stood up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek when he reached her, then held out her hands for her niece. “Happy Halloween, Luna,” Oliver grinned, handing over Andromeda. “Happy Halloween, Oliver,” she returned with a smile. Oliver shook his head as he strolled over to his brother. “It’s been a year, James, and yet it still strikes me as miraculous every time I see you standing up.” He chuckled. “And of course, we can’t leave out your twelve-year-old marriage which you’ve known about for all of one year.” James smiled as he gave his younger brother an affectionate slap on the back. “It’s been one hell of a good year.” “That it has.” “Oh my goddess, Sunny,” Luna exclaimed, “Andi gets prettier and prettier every time I see her.” Soleil nodded, her smile wistful. “She looks like mother, don’t you think?” “Absolutely.” “I say, Luna,” the earl intoned as he ambled up to the booth with his wife. “Are you returning to work tomorrow? I’ve scheduled you three appointments, so I trust you will.” “Yeah.” She smiled, watching him as he plucked the newest Sebastian member out of Soleil’s arms. “I miss Witch’s Cupboard.” Charles raised a lordly brow. “Not as much as your husband will miss you, I would imagine.” He eyed his eldest son knowingly. “Besotted,” he teased. “And proud of it,” James quipped. His arm laced through Emelda’s, he strolled up to the booth with Oliver. “But luckily I won’t have to miss her because I’ve decided to work out of the back room here.” He shrugged. “So long as I have a computer and fax modem, I can take care of our business from anywhere.” Luna nodded. “We thought it was best this way since I’m still breastfeeding.” Soleil agreed. “It’s easy for me since I live a minute up the hill. Oliver just brings Andi down twice a day.” Charles glanced over to his wife. “What time is the festival to begin, Emelda mine? We’re closing down the booth early I gather?” She smiled as she ambled up to his side. “Aye. We’ll close down in aboot an hour.” “Excellent.” Emelda plucked Andromeda from Luna’s arms. “I know everyone says she looks like Luna and Sunny ’s mum,” she said as she held up the baby to James, “But tell me ye dinna see yer brother in this face.”

“I think she looks more like me,” the earl said pompously. Oliver rolled his eyes. “You say the same thing about all three of the grandchildren.” James chuckled. “Face it, father,” he teased as Star wrapped her arms about his waist. “Star looks like me, Jamie looks like me, and Andromeda is the image of Oliver.” Charles harrumphed. “And the deuce of you look like me. So what, precisely, is your point?” “I don’t believe we have one,” Oliver said on a grin. Luna and Soleil chuckled as they watched the Sebastian men exchange quips. Soleil folded her arms under her breasts and smiled nostalgically. “Can you believe how much all of our lives have changed this past year?” “It’s been like a dream.” Luna’s eyes softened as she glanced over toward her husband. “And a miracle.” Soleil smiled as her Familiar found a perch on her shoulder. “Have you found yours yet?” Luna’s eyes widened in understanding when she noticed François for the first time. The wily cat was lying contentedly across her sister’s shoulder, his face snuggled into her cleavage. She grinned. “Yeah. He made himself known to me last week.” She cleared her throat. “Though I must admit he wasn’t quite what I’d been expecting.” Soleil’s tawny eyebrows rose up. “Oh? How so?” Her question was answered for her when, a moment later, a graceful black cat hopped up onto Luna’s shoulder and with a seductive purr, made her presence known. François’ ears perked up. He lifted his face from Soleil’s bosom and gulped a bit roughly. Luna chuckled. “As you can see, he is a she.” Soleil grinned as she witnessed her Familiar’s reaction to the sleek female feline. “That fact was definitely not lost on François.” The sisters exchanged a bemused look before returning their attentions to the mortals in their lives. “You happy, sis?” Soleil asked, already aware of what the answer would be. “Uh huh.” Luna smiled, her violet eyes turning seductive as she watched her husband throw her a look that clearly meant he planned to make love with her as soon as possible. “Life is a beautiful thing.”